Now the new 8800 has all the features that made the 5700 and 8700 desirable, plus an 8 mp sensor and a zoom range of 10x compared with 8 and the camera is fitted with Nikon’s vibration reduction mechanism to reduce effects of camera shake.

dpexpert found the 5700 to be a disappointment in a few areas -- soft focus, poor white balance and slow operation. The 8800 is an improvement, with pin-sharp focus and outstanding auto white balance but it is still painfully slow in operation. The 8800 is not really an alternative to a fast acting single lens reflex.

Like this: The Nikkor lens is superb and combined with the 8 mp sensor delivers crisp, high resolution, nicely coloured and exposed pictures. Even in tricky late afternoon light the camera manages to adjust the white balance and exposure precisely. The subjective quality of portrait shots is excellent. The vibration reduction is impressive in low light.[The picture on the right was taken at 1922 on 1 Jan 2005, strongly backlit, at 1/71 sec, f5.9, ISO 200 at 71mm focal length.]

Dislike that: The camera is slow and unresponsive in all its operations. The electronic zoom is slow and noisy. Focus is sluggish and the camera hunts for sharp focus. Image write to the memory card takes a long time. The low resolution, high contrast electronic viewfinder acts like a veil between the photographer and subject.

Parting shot: The Nikon Coolpix 8800 is pitched against the lower priced digital SLRs. It has obvious appeal to those who have an aversion to the apparent (more than real) complexity and bulk (real enough) of Nikon’s own outstanding D70 SLR. The D70 is $100 cheaper than the 8800. The look and feel of the 8800 are seductive, and for many would-be digital snappers that will be enough.